“If he is not on duty, he
is usually on call, and when he does get some free time, he is more likely to
grab a sports utility vehicle and set off beyond the wall. I don’t know what
the appeal for him is, but you probably understand… Maybe you could tell me a
little about life outside.”
River looked for the
correct words, “Outside we integrate with the land and the environment much
more than you. We don’t see the environment as hostile. We are dependent up on
it, and we live off it. We plan for the seasons. We nurture the land and the
land nurtures us.”
“But what do you think
appeals to Nathan about outside,” inquired Valerie, who seemed disinterested
with River’s prior explanation.
“I assume that you have
asked him this, and that he has not been able to explain this to you. Perhaps
he does not realise, but maybe his heart feels freer when he runs outside.
After all, he is a man who is bound by control every day.” Valerie listened to
River’s explanation, but she held no common reference with his experience,
because she had always considered outside to be uninviting and hostile.
“Tell me about your
family and your life, River,” she implored him.
“I have one brother who
is younger and one sister who is older, my Mother and my Uncle. They are dear
to me. We are part of the Hopi tribe, but we live in a mixed community of
different tribes and non natives, which is many days run from this metropolis.”
“Your skin tone is
lighter than other native outlanders I have seen,” enquired Valerie
diplomatically.
“I think this is
because my father was not a native. He left when we were young. He was a man of
religion when he married my mother. In the ‘great abandonment’ of the old
cities which followed the upheavals, they sought sanctuary amongst my mother’s
tribe. The Hopi welcomed many of the city dwellers and taught them to adjust
and survive to a different lifestyle. However my father grew disillusioned when
my mother turned away from his religion which found no home amongst my people.”
River did not mind confiding these truths to Valerie, as he understood that she
was asking out of interest and not fishing for information. However he decided
to stop talking at that point, because he became aware of a young man watching
him and listening through the glass doors from the kitchen.
Anton realised that he
had been ‘clocked’ and he walked through the doors to join them at the table.
Anton was lean like River but less muscular and shorter. He looked maybe similar
in age to Isa but the similarity ended there as he was less confident and more
awkward than Isa. His skin tone was lighter than his father’s which was
probably due to Valerie’s lighter complexion. Anton sat down at the table and
said a simple “ Hello ”.
River did not feel that
it was a sufficient greeting for meeting a guest, but he realised not to take
this as a slight but rather as a case of nervousness. River compensated by
standing up, crossing his forearms across his chest, and bowing his head as a
formal greeting to the young man who as the current man of the house deserved
his respect. Valerie decided to introduce her son in a way only a mother would,
which was to provide a full academic resume. She pointed out to River that
Anton was currently an intern for the Marekh Guild who were the information
technology gurus who maintained the metropolis’s vast computer networks and
infrastructure. This was a guild that staffed about 95% of the I.T. roles
across all government offices. Anton had spent today at the university campus
as he had important final exams next year which would allow him to complete his
internship and qualify as a junior technical architect.
At one point Valerie
got up to go and prepare food for the evening meal, leaving the two young men
alone in each others company. What followed was a long sustained and difficult
silence. Both of them, for differing reasons were used to letting others do
is usually on call, and when he does get some free time, he is more likely to
grab a sports utility vehicle and set off beyond the wall. I don’t know what
the appeal for him is, but you probably understand… Maybe you could tell me a
little about life outside.”
River looked for the
correct words, “Outside we integrate with the land and the environment much
more than you. We don’t see the environment as hostile. We are dependent up on
it, and we live off it. We plan for the seasons. We nurture the land and the
land nurtures us.”
“But what do you think
appeals to Nathan about outside,” inquired Valerie, who seemed disinterested
with River’s prior explanation.
“I assume that you have
asked him this, and that he has not been able to explain this to you. Perhaps
he does not realise, but maybe his heart feels freer when he runs outside.
After all, he is a man who is bound by control every day.” Valerie listened to
River’s explanation, but she held no common reference with his experience,
because she had always considered outside to be uninviting and hostile.
“Tell me about your
family and your life, River,” she implored him.
“I have one brother who
is younger and one sister who is older, my Mother and my Uncle. They are dear
to me. We are part of the Hopi tribe, but we live in a mixed community of
different tribes and non natives, which is many days run from this metropolis.”
“Your skin tone is
lighter than other native outlanders I have seen,” enquired Valerie
diplomatically.
“I think this is
because my father was not a native. He left when we were young. He was a man of
religion when he married my mother. In the ‘great abandonment’ of the old
cities which followed the upheavals, they sought sanctuary amongst my mother’s
tribe. The Hopi welcomed many of the city dwellers and taught them to adjust
and survive to a different lifestyle. However my father grew disillusioned when
my mother turned away from his religion which found no home amongst my people.”
River did not mind confiding these truths to Valerie, as he understood that she
was asking out of interest and not fishing for information. However he decided
to stop talking at that point, because he became aware of a young man watching
him and listening through the glass doors from the kitchen.
Anton realised that he
had been ‘clocked’ and he walked through the doors to join them at the table.
Anton was lean like River but less muscular and shorter. He looked maybe similar
in age to Isa but the similarity ended there as he was less confident and more
awkward than Isa. His skin tone was lighter than his father’s which was
probably due to Valerie’s lighter complexion. Anton sat down at the table and
said a simple “ Hello ”.
River did not feel that
it was a sufficient greeting for meeting a guest, but he realised not to take
this as a slight but rather as a case of nervousness. River compensated by
standing up, crossing his forearms across his chest, and bowing his head as a
formal greeting to the young man who as the current man of the house deserved
his respect. Valerie decided to introduce her son in a way only a mother would,
which was to provide a full academic resume. She pointed out to River that
Anton was currently an intern for the Marekh Guild who were the information
technology gurus who maintained the metropolis’s vast computer networks and
infrastructure. This was a guild that staffed about 95% of the I.T. roles
across all government offices. Anton had spent today at the university campus
as he had important final exams next year which would allow him to complete his
internship and qualify as a junior technical architect.
At one point Valerie
got up to go and prepare food for the evening meal, leaving the two young men
alone in each others company. What followed was a long sustained and difficult
silence. Both of them, for differing reasons were used to letting others do
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